Pooja Vastrakar sustained a shoulder injury during the Women's T20 World Cup in 2024 and underwent surgery in March 2025. After missing the Women's Premier League in 2025, she was released by the Mumbai Indians despite being one of the more experienced seam-bowling all-rounders in the country. However, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked up her at the mega auction for INR 85 lakh.
Vastrakar revealed that the RCB management didn't pressurise her into bowling at full tilt and instead allowed
her to ease into it. She added that the RCB camp focused on her batting abilities instead.
“They spoke to me in very simple terms and told me that if my bowling wasn't coming along as expected, that was okay. They said, 'You are a batting all-rounder; we need your batting.' That reassurance gave me a lot of confidence, and they continued to back me throughout the tournament,” Vastrakar told India Today in an interview facilitated by Madhya Pradesh Premier League.
"Absolutely. Everyone there, not just Anya (Shrubsole), but even our head coach (Malolan Rangarajan) and Smriti (Mandhana), are very established at this level. All of them have faced injuries at some point in their careers, so they understand what it takes for a player to make a comeback,” Vastrakar said.
For Vastrakar, the shoulder injury was not the only setback that kept her away from the game. She also tweaked her hamstring just two days before her release from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru, which forced her to miss the first two weeks of the WPL 2026 for RCB.
Even after making a comeback, she neither bowled nor batted in two of the matches she featured in. Sharing her thoughts on her journey, the 26-year-old said that challenges and frustrations come into a cricketer's life, and they help them handle the highs and lows.
She added that her current focus is on fitness, workload management, and performance improvement through consistent hard work and discipline.
"There are always some challenges, and a bit of frustration too, but at the same time, you learn a lot from them. Cricket is a game that comes with plenty of ups and downs, and it makes you aware of how to deal with different challenges,” Vastrakar, who’s playing for the Chambal Ghariyals, said.
“Right now, I am not particularly focused on any one specific thing. My main focus is on my body, my fitness, and my performances. I am concentrating on the hard work required to improve in those areas. At the moment, that is where all my focus and motivation lie,” Vastrakar added.
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